NHTSA Considers Ending Steering Wheel Mandate for Robotaxis

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering eliminating the requirement for steering wheels in vehicles designed to operate without human drivers. This potential rule change could benefit companies like Tesla, which is developing purpose-built autonomous vehicles, including the Cybercab, a two-seat electric car that lacks a steering wheel or foot pedals. NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison stated that requiring manual controls for vehicles designed never to be driven by a human operator does not make sense. The agency recently removed the mandate for manual brake pedals in fully autonomous vehicles, which could ease the path for purpose-built autonomous vehicles. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has advocated for policy changes to support the broad commercial deployment of self-driving vehicles. The robotaxi market includes big-name players like Amazon’s Zoox and Alphabet’s Waymo. While Morrison did not specify the timing or details of any potential reevaluation of steering wheel rules, the change could have significant implications for the development of autonomous vehicles.